Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Morocco Part 3: Into The Sahara

We woke up the next morning around 8 and had a quick breakfast. We were all so excited and we couldn't wait to get on the bus and start our way to the Sahara Desert! We started off and went back through the gorge and got to see it at day time and it was just as beautiful, but in a different way with different lighting. It was really cool to see it both ways. As we drove we kept seeing amazing views and amazing things and it was just incredible. We stopped along the way in the gorge and got to walk around a little bit. We walked through the gorge and along a little river. It was really cool. I was jumping all over the place and Andy and me were climbing everywhere. It was so much fun. It was pretty funny, there was a car stuck in the river because you have to pass through it on the road, and he got stuck, oops. He was ok though, so don't worry! So after the gorge we continued along and finally came to the second part of the desert. The first was all the stuff before, and now this one was called the Black Rock Desert. This is because besides two oasis it is all flat dead land, with nothing growing, and this mountains or black rocks that have really awesome patterns in them. We drove in the desert for a long time and, what i thought was cool was that to divide each territory there were little gate like things and once you crossed you were in another part of Morocco. During the drive we were all joking around and having the best time just talking and enjoying all of the views. We took one more pit stop before the desert, which was an archaeological/fossil factory where they make tables, stones, and all kinds of things out of fossils they find around the desert. It was really cool, and they had all these different examples of how they make tables out of the fossils they find, and we got a tour of the factory. It was pretty awesome. So we got back in the bus and continued driving and then after a little while we see this big mountain ahead of us. We just assume it is part of the black rock because it is to big to be what we thought it was. As it turns out...It was a sand dune!!! It was so huge and it meant we were so close! It took around another hour and a half (that's how huge it was) to get to the entrance of the Sahara desert. Wow. I can not even begin to describe the feeling of standing feet away from the Sahara desert! This is a place you read about in books, or see in Aladdin of something! It was right in front of me! We stopped at a hostel to drop all our stuff off that we didn't need, because we would be spending the night in the Sahara. Then we went outside and were introduced to our camels!! It was so amazing. One of the people who were taking us into the desert, called Berber, natives of Morocco and the Desert, gave me a snowboard that we were going to use as a sand board once we reach camp! I don't think I've ever been so excited. So i got on my camel, got in line with the others, and began to head into the Sahara! Now this is the hardest part for me, because going on a camel ride at sunset in the Sahara Desert is one of the most surreal feelings you may ever have in your life. When you are out there you feel like you are watching a movie, like you are seeing pictures in some new fancy way. It does not seem possible that you are in the middle of the desert. We had around a hour and half camel ride, and every second was amazing. The dunes that we passed, the sun setting making the desert even more beautiful, all of it was perfect. I had the biggest smile on my face for the whole time. Even after an hour, i still felt the same as when we first entered because the desert is such an amazing place, and something you always hear about, and actually being there was just incredible, every second of it. After a while we saw a group of tents, and knew that would be our home for the night. It was so amazing! We were about 3 miles into the Sahara desert and we have a camp to ourselves to enjoy and just have the time of our lives. We all got off our camels, i gave mine a hug cause he was awesome. Then we ran down to see our new home for the night!